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Reverting Scales: Shells of Self
Naydrus has found her haven! She learns how to be a dragon as she grows within its walls, but things don't become very easy when reality comes crashing in. With time, she becomes better and lays a golden egg in her very first clutch. An egg whose existence will warp the fabric of the world as everyone knows it.
- GenresDragons
213 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 19, 2026
More of a Bronze Egg Sort of Book
In the second book of the Reverting Scales series, it's time to watch Naydrus grow up... Perhaps a bit too fast. While I appreciate the grand adventure in this book, we start getting even more problems with the prose. Still, the plot itself is again solid, and the introduction of more permanent characters is much appreciated.
In this book, Naydrus grows up in Ruby Haven, a place where dragons and human "dragon guardians" live in harmony. She, of course, hates this, but that's never relevant to the plot, really. . To say she speedruns adulthood is an understatement!
The book tries so hard to make you feel with its worldbuilding that you're a teeny tiny speck in a big huge world. The only problem, of course, that our protagonist , lessening the feeling of smallness, and it otherwise feels that it's just a series of weird things that Naydrus stumbles across, rather than a cohesive world. It's the same problem as last book still.
On the other hand, we get improvements to the characters, as now more of them stay for longer than a handful of chapters! This really helps, as now there are people for Naydrus to actually interact with. She actually gets to form bonds with others now, although in her usual style, she tolerates anyone around her rather than befriends anyone. Watching Naydrus have to deal with learning she was going to lay eggs, and having to be a mother to the resulting dragons, was delightful, at least. However, the book is aggressive in not even obliquely mentioning the birds and the bees concerning Naydrus and Apovec, which could be interpreted as ... I try to interpret it as nicely as possible, but...
Anyways! The prose was graced with new issues that only get worse as the book goes on. PoV issues! Once the eggs are laid, it's all over with for a consistent PoV. The book shifts PoV from whoever it wants from paragraph to paragraph, crowding Naydrus out of her own book and confusingly jumping from dragon to dragon with no warning. This gets obnoxious, to say the least. The typos and bad descriptions keep up, too.
Certainly this book expands the scope of the world and lets us watch Naydrus grow up in a well enough done manner. But the problems with the narrative at this point are beginning to pile up. I think this was a better book than the first one, but I worry about this series holding up.
In the second book of the Reverting Scales series, it's time to watch Naydrus grow up... Perhaps a bit too fast. While I appreciate the grand adventure in this book, we start getting even more problems with the prose. Still, the plot itself is again solid, and the introduction of more permanent characters is much appreciated.
In this book, Naydrus grows up in Ruby Haven, a place where dragons and human "dragon guardians" live in harmony. She, of course, hates this, but that's never relevant to the plot, really. . To say she speedruns adulthood is an understatement!
The book tries so hard to make you feel with its worldbuilding that you're a teeny tiny speck in a big huge world. The only problem, of course, that our protagonist , lessening the feeling of smallness, and it otherwise feels that it's just a series of weird things that Naydrus stumbles across, rather than a cohesive world. It's the same problem as last book still.
On the other hand, we get improvements to the characters, as now more of them stay for longer than a handful of chapters! This really helps, as now there are people for Naydrus to actually interact with. She actually gets to form bonds with others now, although in her usual style, she tolerates anyone around her rather than befriends anyone. Watching Naydrus have to deal with learning she was going to lay eggs, and having to be a mother to the resulting dragons, was delightful, at least. However, the book is aggressive in not even obliquely mentioning the birds and the bees concerning Naydrus and Apovec, which could be interpreted as ... I try to interpret it as nicely as possible, but...
Anyways! The prose was graced with new issues that only get worse as the book goes on. PoV issues! Once the eggs are laid, it's all over with for a consistent PoV. The book shifts PoV from whoever it wants from paragraph to paragraph, crowding Naydrus out of her own book and confusingly jumping from dragon to dragon with no warning. This gets obnoxious, to say the least. The typos and bad descriptions keep up, too.
Certainly this book expands the scope of the world and lets us watch Naydrus grow up in a well enough done manner. But the problems with the narrative at this point are beginning to pile up. I think this was a better book than the first one, but I worry about this series holding up.
July 10, 2025
As I promised, I wanted to read book 2 because I enjoyed the first book immensely. This sequel continues where book 1 ends with the rebellious young purple dragon Naydrus reaching a dragon city called Ruby Haven.
Unlike the human and furry humanoid ank enclaves, the Ruby dragons are wild freefolk that govern themselves. Given Naydrus is the first of a new species where her biology is equally puzzling as her stubborness, the Ruby dragons didn't know what to do with her. Except for one person, a 300 year old blue dragon named Halolal, whose mere presence and serious demeanor garners respect among his peers.
While Naydrus sees him as a talented mentor, her rambunctiousness and overbearing personality expectedly causes rifts with her 5 classmates. While there's plenty of YA books where 'Mean girl' tropes get on my nerves, I felt the personality clashes worked very well here because the problem person is Naydrus. Every other dragon in her group seems pretty normal, albeit far too coddled by their sheltered upbringing. There is however one thing stopping Naydrus as the book advances: . And the rift that already existed as 'the outsider' only grows as she is being left behind due to this disadvantage. Except, one particular dragon has noticed her struggles...
From the (very cute) cover, it is obvious what is expected to happen at the end of the book, so there is hardly any spoilers with regards to the teen romance. I enjoyed how this is no 'instalove' or 'enemies to lovers'. Naydrus is an archetypical tsundere type character, whereas [spoiler] is just a regular guy who is pretty level headed and a nice calming contrast to her abrasive personality.
The best quote in the entire book that pretty much exemplifies Naydrus's opinions of her better half is:
"Your father is an idiot, but we survived a lot together."
We get to learn more about Gar and the hints he might have a hidden agenda afterall that may or may not be entirely selfless. The book seems to leave this to a reader's open interpretation from his scant scenes. Alongside a plethora of other dragon species including a horrifying teleporting one that reminded me of a glitchy videogame character from the Pixels film, we learn a few new things about this world. Due to the events between the middle and ending, the reader will feel ansty with hopes a third book becomes released soon because there's now far too many unanswered questions. So, readers that feel frustrated this book is suffering from 'middle book syndrome' might want to wait for a possible sequel before investing into this book.
I loved the characters just like book 1, the direction the book is going towards a worldwide involvement of dragonkind, subtle hints of dragon religion playing a huge role in the greater story, and how everything might come together in a future potential book.
Now, there is a problem that may either be a situation of plotholes or a mystery that will be answered in a future book. I can't mention all my concerns because they are spoilery, but I feel confused Gar was unable to locate any entrance to Ruby Haven's underground city in book 1, while in the span of just 4 months in book 2 he acts like he has resided in the city for decades. The final third arc of the book mentions a few other discrepancies about dragonkind that should be common knowledge for all guardians. Some oddities would be noticed by Ruby Haven's new adult arrivals between them and locally born dragons. This doesn't mean this issues I noticed were plotholes in any way because both books mention several times there is a strange ancient energy in the city that only partially affects Naydrus. If a third book is ever written, I expect the strange things going on are answered.
That aside, this book has an unusual amount of typos, including even confusing the names of the male and female spouse of a screamer type of serpentine air balloon dragon. The male of the couple remained behind in Ruby Haven, so when I saw a scene where Linquol was barking orders to the 6 teenage classmates, I had to reread the sentence a few times until I realized it was a typo. This proofreading issue made it hard to read sentences sometimes, which knocked down half a star.
Despite these issues, I enjoyed book 2 of this underrated dragon adventure romance story and hope other readers give this series a shot.
Unlike the human and furry humanoid ank enclaves, the Ruby dragons are wild freefolk that govern themselves. Given Naydrus is the first of a new species where her biology is equally puzzling as her stubborness, the Ruby dragons didn't know what to do with her. Except for one person, a 300 year old blue dragon named Halolal, whose mere presence and serious demeanor garners respect among his peers.
While Naydrus sees him as a talented mentor, her rambunctiousness and overbearing personality expectedly causes rifts with her 5 classmates. While there's plenty of YA books where 'Mean girl' tropes get on my nerves, I felt the personality clashes worked very well here because the problem person is Naydrus. Every other dragon in her group seems pretty normal, albeit far too coddled by their sheltered upbringing. There is however one thing stopping Naydrus as the book advances: . And the rift that already existed as 'the outsider' only grows as she is being left behind due to this disadvantage. Except, one particular dragon has noticed her struggles...
From the (very cute) cover, it is obvious what is expected to happen at the end of the book, so there is hardly any spoilers with regards to the teen romance. I enjoyed how this is no 'instalove' or 'enemies to lovers'. Naydrus is an archetypical tsundere type character, whereas [spoiler] is just a regular guy who is pretty level headed and a nice calming contrast to her abrasive personality.
The best quote in the entire book that pretty much exemplifies Naydrus's opinions of her better half is:
"Your father is an idiot, but we survived a lot together."
We get to learn more about Gar and the hints he might have a hidden agenda afterall that may or may not be entirely selfless. The book seems to leave this to a reader's open interpretation from his scant scenes. Alongside a plethora of other dragon species including a horrifying teleporting one that reminded me of a glitchy videogame character from the Pixels film, we learn a few new things about this world. Due to the events between the middle and ending, the reader will feel ansty with hopes a third book becomes released soon because there's now far too many unanswered questions. So, readers that feel frustrated this book is suffering from 'middle book syndrome' might want to wait for a possible sequel before investing into this book.
I loved the characters just like book 1, the direction the book is going towards a worldwide involvement of dragonkind, subtle hints of dragon religion playing a huge role in the greater story, and how everything might come together in a future potential book.
Now, there is a problem that may either be a situation of plotholes or a mystery that will be answered in a future book. I can't mention all my concerns because they are spoilery, but I feel confused Gar was unable to locate any entrance to Ruby Haven's underground city in book 1, while in the span of just 4 months in book 2 he acts like he has resided in the city for decades. The final third arc of the book mentions a few other discrepancies about dragonkind that should be common knowledge for all guardians. Some oddities would be noticed by Ruby Haven's new adult arrivals between them and locally born dragons. This doesn't mean this issues I noticed were plotholes in any way because both books mention several times there is a strange ancient energy in the city that only partially affects Naydrus. If a third book is ever written, I expect the strange things going on are answered.
That aside, this book has an unusual amount of typos, including even confusing the names of the male and female spouse of a screamer type of serpentine air balloon dragon. The male of the couple remained behind in Ruby Haven, so when I saw a scene where Linquol was barking orders to the 6 teenage classmates, I had to reread the sentence a few times until I realized it was a typo. This proofreading issue made it hard to read sentences sometimes, which knocked down half a star.
Despite these issues, I enjoyed book 2 of this underrated dragon adventure romance story and hope other readers give this series a shot.
July 9, 2025
As I promised, I wanted to read book 2 because I enjoyed the first book immensely. This sequel continues where book 1 ends with the rebellious young purple dragon Naydrus reaching a dragon city called Ruby Haven.
Unlike the human and furry humanoid ank enclaves, the Ruby dragons are wild freefolk that govern themselves. Given Naydrus is the first of a new species where her biology is equally puzzling as her stubborness, the Ruby dragons didn't know what to do with her. Except for one person, a 300 year old blue dragon named Halolal, whose mere presence and serious demeanor garners respect among his peers.
While Naydrus sees him as a talented mentor, her rambunctiousness and overbearing personality expectedly causes rifts with her 5 classmates. While there's plenty of YA books where 'Mean girl' tropes get on my nerves, I felt the personality clashes worked very well here because the problem person is Naydrus. Every other dragon in her group seems pretty normal, albeit far too coddled by their sheltered upbringing. There is however one thing stopping Naydrus as the book advances: . And the rift that already existed as 'the outsider' only grows as she is being left behind due to this disadvantage. Except, one particular dragon has noticed her struggles...
From the (very cute) cover, it is obvious what is expected to happen at the end of the book, so there is hardly any spoilers with regards to the teen romance. I enjoyed how this is no 'instalove' or 'enemies to lovers'. Naydrus is an archetypical tsundere type character, whereas [spoiler] is just a regular guy who is pretty level headed and a nice calming contrast to her abrasive personality.
The best quote in the entire book that pretty much exemplifies Naydrus's opinions of her better half is:
"Your father is an idiot, but we survived a lot together."
We get to learn more about Gar and the hints he might have a hidden agenda afterall that may or may not be entirely selfless. The book seems to leave this to a reader's open interpretation from his scant scenes. Alongside a plethora of other dragon species including a horrifying teleporting one that reminded me of a glitchy videogame character from the Pixels film, we learn a few new things about this world. Due to the events between the middle and ending, the reader will feel ansty with hopes a third book becomes released soon because there's now far too many unanswered questions. So, readers that feel frustrated this book is suffering from 'middle book syndrome' might want to wait for a possible sequel before investing into this book.
I loved the characters just like book 1, the direction the book is going towards a worldwide involvement of dragonkind, subtle hints of dragon religion playing a huge role in the greater story, and how everything might come together in a future potential book.
Now, there is a problem that may either be a situation of plotholes or a mystery that will be answered in a future book. I can't mention all my concerns because they are spoilery, but I feel confused Gar was unable to locate any entrance to Ruby Haven's underground city in book 1, while in the span of just 4 months in book 2 he acts like he has resided in the city for decades. The final third arc of the book mentions a few other discrepancies about dragonkind that should be common knowledge for all guardians. Some oddities would be noticed by Ruby Haven's new adult arrivals between them and locally born dragons. This doesn't mean this issues I noticed were plotholes in any way because both books mention several times there is a strange ancient energy in the city that only partially affects Naydrus. If a third book is ever written, I expect the strange things going on are answered.
That aside, this book has an unusual amount of typos, including even confusing the names of the male and female spouse of a screamer type of serpentine air balloon dragon. The male of the couple remained behind in Ruby Haven, so when I saw a scene where Linquol was barking orders to the 6 teenage classmates, I had to reread the sentence a few times until I realized it was a typo. This proofreading issue made it hard to read sentences sometimes, which knocked down half a star.
Despite these issues, I enjoyed book 2 of this underrated dragon adventure romance story and hope other readers give this series a shot.
Unlike the human and furry humanoid ank enclaves, the Ruby dragons are wild freefolk that govern themselves. Given Naydrus is the first of a new species where her biology is equally puzzling as her stubborness, the Ruby dragons didn't know what to do with her. Except for one person, a 300 year old blue dragon named Halolal, whose mere presence and serious demeanor garners respect among his peers.
While Naydrus sees him as a talented mentor, her rambunctiousness and overbearing personality expectedly causes rifts with her 5 classmates. While there's plenty of YA books where 'Mean girl' tropes get on my nerves, I felt the personality clashes worked very well here because the problem person is Naydrus. Every other dragon in her group seems pretty normal, albeit far too coddled by their sheltered upbringing. There is however one thing stopping Naydrus as the book advances: . And the rift that already existed as 'the outsider' only grows as she is being left behind due to this disadvantage. Except, one particular dragon has noticed her struggles...
From the (very cute) cover, it is obvious what is expected to happen at the end of the book, so there is hardly any spoilers with regards to the teen romance. I enjoyed how this is no 'instalove' or 'enemies to lovers'. Naydrus is an archetypical tsundere type character, whereas [spoiler] is just a regular guy who is pretty level headed and a nice calming contrast to her abrasive personality.
The best quote in the entire book that pretty much exemplifies Naydrus's opinions of her better half is:
"Your father is an idiot, but we survived a lot together."
We get to learn more about Gar and the hints he might have a hidden agenda afterall that may or may not be entirely selfless. The book seems to leave this to a reader's open interpretation from his scant scenes. Alongside a plethora of other dragon species including a horrifying teleporting one that reminded me of a glitchy videogame character from the Pixels film, we learn a few new things about this world. Due to the events between the middle and ending, the reader will feel ansty with hopes a third book becomes released soon because there's now far too many unanswered questions. So, readers that feel frustrated this book is suffering from 'middle book syndrome' might want to wait for a possible sequel before investing into this book.
I loved the characters just like book 1, the direction the book is going towards a worldwide involvement of dragonkind, subtle hints of dragon religion playing a huge role in the greater story, and how everything might come together in a future potential book.
Now, there is a problem that may either be a situation of plotholes or a mystery that will be answered in a future book. I can't mention all my concerns because they are spoilery, but I feel confused Gar was unable to locate any entrance to Ruby Haven's underground city in book 1, while in the span of just 4 months in book 2 he acts like he has resided in the city for decades. The final third arc of the book mentions a few other discrepancies about dragonkind that should be common knowledge for all guardians. Some oddities would be noticed by Ruby Haven's new adult arrivals between them and locally born dragons. This doesn't mean this issues I noticed were plotholes in any way because both books mention several times there is a strange ancient energy in the city that only partially affects Naydrus. If a third book is ever written, I expect the strange things going on are answered.
That aside, this book has an unusual amount of typos, including even confusing the names of the male and female spouse of a screamer type of serpentine air balloon dragon. The male of the couple remained behind in Ruby Haven, so when I saw a scene where Linquol was barking orders to the 6 teenage classmates, I had to reread the sentence a few times until I realized it was a typo. This proofreading issue made it hard to read sentences sometimes, which knocked down half a star.
Despite these issues, I enjoyed book 2 of this underrated dragon adventure romance story and hope other readers give this series a shot.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews